The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-08
LOUISIANA LABOR TROUBLES.

The killing Pattersonville-what Was
Revealed by q Careful Inquiry.
PATTERsoNvILLE. La. Nov. This town
was profoundly quiet yesterday, many of the
negroes. who form the majority of the popula-
ton. having cleared out in consequence of the
affair of Saturday afternoon. OF that affair
everybody has q different story TO tell. The
following are tho conclusions arrived at, after
some pains and careful consideration. Trouble
has been threatening in this neiehborhood for
some time past The negroes have been talking
freely of burning the town Of Jacksonville. II
is stated that who is now a prisoner has
made full confession to Hon. Don Caffrey of
a plot to burn the town, which was TO have been
carried into effect on Saturday night but the
events of Saturday afternoon INTERVIEWED. Mr.
Caffrey took passage to Franklin
afternoon train, and has not,
therefore, been interviewed. The shoot
ing ard woundng of four whits
men Phair's plantation. Friday, decided
the authorities here to institute a search for
arms in the town, and at the same time to
rest several men who had made themselves
most conspicuous by the loudness and ferocity
steamboats, lying alongside Wiiarns's mill,
about q mile from town. From there, Saturday
afternoon, between and o'clock the Attaka-
pas rangers under command of CAPTAIN Cade,
together with posse of citizens partly of this
neighborhood and partly from Franklin, moved
the town. There several versions Of
what afterward occurred. The correct story
is probably this: At the entrance the town
stand two cottages the one on the right occu-
pied by white man FAMED HILBERT and that
the left by coiored people. Here as the
troops approached. they found a crowd of from
fifty to one hundred excited negroes assembled.
This crowd was ordered to dispense. ard
of the members of the mob
left, while others remained and assumed
a defiant attitude One negro, of notorious
character, threw his hand behind him If TO
draw a pistol, and then, in moment, the whole
affair was over. regular fusilade Was opened
on the negroes by the sneriff's posse. and four
of the negroes shot dead. 1t is asserted
by the militia, and with considerable positve-
q shot. and that all the killing done by the
sheriff's posse. Captain Cade seems to have
had a great deal of difficulty in restraining his
men from firing, but appears to have succeeded.
Besides the four negroes killed. one
was very severely wounded. Two bows,
also, said have been hit. The
sheriff Withdrew soon as the firing began.
After the ARRAY the troops marched through
the town, and many of the negroes retired to
the woods. The number of shots fired is vari.
iously estimated az from thirty to one hundred,
but the firing was by means indiscriminate.
The four men killed were bad characters. Their
ers; Owen Cooper brotherin-law of the Ander-
sons and Robert Wren, q negro saioon-k keeper
who killed a man a week ago within few yards
Of the place where he was shot. The dead were
buried yesterday by the troops. The town was
patrolled by cavalry and infantry last night,
and il was impossible to move In any direction
without being challenged